As a generic noun, just 'a spicy soup'. Regionally,
辣汤 names a specific dish: a thick peppery breakfast broth in Xuzhou (
徐州辣汤, made with chicken, beef and grain) and the closely related Henan
胡辣汤 (hú là tāng) loaded with white pepper, beef, wood ear and seitan. Both are eaten with fried bread (
油条 /
油饼) at dawn.
